Star freestyle skier Mikaël Kingsbury made the decision to withdraw from the men’s small final during the World Cup moguls season opener on Sunday. Despite securing fourth place in the qualification round, Kingsbury was notably absent from the small final start list. The 33-year-old athlete, hailing from Deux-Montagnes, Que., cited a groin injury as the reason for his withdrawal, as revealed during a pre-event press conference.
Kingsbury, who boasts an impressive record of 99 career World Cup victories, is a key contender for Canada at the upcoming Milan Cortina Winter Games, particularly in the newly introduced dual moguls discipline at the Olympics. Noteworthy achievements in his career include a gold medal in standard moguls at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games, in addition to silver medals in 2014 and 2022.
Despite Kingsbury’s absence from the final, another moguls competition was set to take place the following day. Among the Canadian participants, Maïa Schwinghammer from Saskatoon emerged as the sole athlete to progress to either of the big finals on Sunday, securing fifth place in the women’s event.
